2009 New Years Resolution - Better Influence Your Sales

2009 New Years Resolution - Better Influence Your Sales

by Kevin Hogan, PsyD
Reading Body Language Expert

As part of your New Years resolutions for 2009, did you write down, "I want to sell more." or Did you include, "I want to learn How to Increase My Sales This Year." Read on. Applying this powerful information about rapid influence will help your selling this year.

When the seminar attendee asks me about just how much nonverbal communication plays into their daily life, and they cite what they have done today up until that moment. Here is how I analyze each of their opportunities to influence and persuade people. How will your learning this and leveraging this powerful influence information increase your sales this year?

I'll take the list one at a time so you can think about how to apply this for social influence in your business and professional life. Write this down and then write 5 ways you would use that in your life. Do this now.

Ok, first of all, You Woke Up.

1. You woke up – When the alarm went off, maybe you grimaced, give a heavy and dejected sigh, sat up with your shoulders slumped and your head hanging down. Does that sound about right?


Self-Influence

All of those non-verbal behaviors influenced your own attitude and feelings about waking up.


Others Influence

If there was another person in the room, her (or his) perception of your non-verbal behaviors influenced her impression of you, her expectations for interacting with you, and her own attitude toward waking up and getting out of bed.


How is what you are doing and communicating with your non-verbal behavior impacting your own attitude and beliefs?

How is what you are doing impacting those around you? Your sales team? Your sales staff? Your Inside Sales Representatives? Your customers? Your prospects?

To learn more about how you can beat the competition, learn how to make sales and how to increase your sales influence this year, even in a down economy, click here to learn more about:

Influence BootCamp 2009

Mastering Influencing Human Behavior to Increase Your Sales

Mastering Influencing Human Behavior to Increase Your Sales

by Kevin Hogan
Internationally Best Selling Author of Psychology of Persuasion, Irresistible Attraction, The Science of Influence, Covert Persuasion, well, and a lot more over at Amazon.com

If you communicate to earn a living you obviously must master nonverbal communication.

When I'm interviewed by media as well as at the numerous live events where I am an international business motivational speaker sometimes I will encounter people during my events, like Influence BootCamp in Las Vegas March 2009, who doubt the influence and persuasion power and impact of nonverbal communication. That or they simply don’t believe it is such an important part of their daily lives and its impact for their success.


They will usually agree it is important when giving formal presentations in business and job interviews and the like. But when it comes to their daily activities it is something that’s just there in the background. Often these people attend the influence seminar because their boss is making them go, or they feel they have to attend as part of their career development plan.


In other words, they are physically present but not necessarily mentally or emotionally engaged in the process.

When I meet someone who holds this opinion I like to go through a quick but powerful exercise.


I ask the person, "Please list at least five things you have done that day, and I promise to show you how nonverbal communication influenced and affected each activity." When they tell me their activities, I write each activity on a separate piece of flip chart paper, leaving plenty of room on the paper for later on in the exercise.

Here’s a typical list from a nonverbal communication skeptic:

1. I woke up

2. I ate breakfast

3. I drove to the post office

4. I stopped to pick up coffee

5. I came to this nonverbal communications business skills seminar

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you where the powerful persuasion is in each.

For more articles right now on Persuasion, Influence, and How to Increase Your Sales, go now to:

www.KevinHogan.com

What Women Find Attractive in Men

What Women Find Attractive in Men - Influencing Human Behavior

By Kevin Hogan
author of internationally best selling Irresistible Attraction


You're a guy. You're asking yourself, How to Attract Beautiful Women and How to Attract Gorgeous Girls.

What women find attractive in men, it's not what you were probably thinking. Yeah, that, too.


Research shows that females are far more attracted to males with other females scent on them.


Notice that it is not the scent of perfume or after shave which obviously covers scent, but the actual scent of another female.


It appears that evolution has supplied females a yardstick with which to measure males.


When it comes to influencing human behavior and the art and psychology of persuasion, scientific research shows Females have olfactory sensitivity about ten times that of males, in terms of sexuality and pheromones. Pretty interesting stuff, huh?


Still looking for a date for New Years Eve? How will you leverage that for your dating life? In your relationships? To attract women?



Evolution determines that females instinctively seek a fertile partner with good genes…ie….by virtue of another woman’s scent, the male has been already been 'tested and approved'.


And ALL of this happens at the nonconscious level.


Talk about secrets off influence…


(I bet that got your attention, true?)


For LOADS more fr+ee articles on Influencing Human Behavior, How to Increase Sales, and Persuasion go here to >> www.KevinHogan.com

Practical applications for Influencing Human Behavior

Practical applications for Influencing Human Behavior

By Kevin Hogan

For rapid influence and social influence, leveraging non-verbal communication is some of the most effective tools at your disposal.

What are some of the practical application for persuasion and influencing human behavior?

So what does this all really mean? What are the practical applications of nonverbal communication? The practical applications are nearly limitless. Interestingly enough quite often non verbal communication is used subconsciously rather than deliberately. Some people are just ‘naturals’ when it comes to the effective use of non-verbal communication in everyday life, while others struggle with how to learn it and use it well.

Here are some common examples for you of when and where non-verbal communication applies to the real world context:

This list could go on and on and on! The reality is that non-verbal communication is part of everything you do every day. Your personal nonverbal communication influences everyone around you…and they, you.

There is no way to avoid it – and why would you want to? Body language is one of the most powerful components of the communication process, and you have the choice of how you use it. You can leave it to your subconscious or actively learn to apply it.

Choose the more active path of learning because that holds the greatest potential for making all aspects of your life richer, more interesting, more productive, and more effective.

1. Office
2. Selling
3. Negotiations
4. Job interviews
5. Persuasive discussions
6. Client/vendor interactions
7. Walking through the grocery store
8. Meetings
9. Politics
10. Hiring
11. Intimacy
12. Friendship
13. Parenting
14. Working with animals
15. Business meetings
16. Real estate showings
17. Meal time
18. Running errands
19. Parent teacher conferences
20. Shopping
21. Group leadership
22. Sports activities
23. Vacation planning

Click here for the complete home study course in Influence and Persuasion, The Science of Influence.

Influencing Human Behavior with Regulating

Influencing Human Behavior with Regulating

by Kevin Hogan

Are you leveraging the non-verbal communication skill of Regulating to win and get more sales, or even double your sales? gain more customers? or even get more dates and double your dating?

You're probably wondering, "Kevin, what is Regulating in influence and persuasion settings?"

Thank you. Glad you asked.

Regulating – Within the non-verbal influence and persuasion category contains are all the non verbal behaviors you use to regulate or pace the communication of your desired persuasion message. You might leverage regulating to influence and persuade subtly when you are ready to move from one topic to another topic. You might also use to for transitioning smoothly to another person’s chance to speak in your influence scenario.

Regulating behaviors help to moderate and control the communication between and among multiple people. How do you see yourself using Regulating to increase your sales and gain more rapid social influence and business influence?

For instance, when you lead the roundtable segment of a team meeting - definitely an influence and persuasion context - you might communicate your influence non-verbally when you nod, turn, and gesture to the next person at the table when it is his or her turn to speak.

Some people are not very good at regulating their behaviors. Instead, they interrupt before another person is finished speaking, or they talk constantly without allowing input from others. When they are on your team, how can you influence and persuade them more effectively to include others?

Click here now for the Complete Science of Influence HomeStudy Influence and Persuasion Mastery Program

Influencing Human Behavior with Moderating

Influencing Human Behavior with Moderating

By Kevin Hogan

When you are seeking to influence human behavior, whether professionally or personally, you are likely using moderating in you daily lives.

Regulating – This category contains non-verbal behaviors that regulate or pace the communication of a message. It might be used to indicate when you are ready to move from one topic to another topic, or to transition smoothly to another person’s chance to speak. Regulating behaviors help to moderate and control the communication between and among multiple people.



For instance, if you are leading the roundtable segment of a team meeting you might nod, turn, and gesture to the next person at the table when it is his or her turn to speak. Some people are not very good at regulating behaviors; they interrupt before another person is finished speaking, or they talk constantly without allowing input from others.


How could you becoming more adept at moderating yourself increase sales? Possibly double your sales this year? Could you see how this increases you to rapid influence?


What are some of the practical applications of persuasion and influence?



And what does this all really mean? The practical applications are nearly limitless, and quite often they are used subconsciously rather than deliberately. Some people are just ‘naturals’ when it comes to the effective use of non-verbal influence and persuasion in everyday life, while others struggle with how to learn it and use it well.



Common examples of when and where non-verbal communication applies to the real world include the following setting:



Office

Sales and Selling

Business meetings

Real estate showings

Job interviews

Hiring

All Kinds of Negotiations

Trials and the Courtroom

Persuasive discussions

Client/vendor interactions

Walking through the grocery store

Politics

Intimacy

Friendship

Parenting

Working with animals

Meal time

Running errands

Parent teacher conferences

Shopping

Group, Club, Association leadership

Meetings

Sports activities

Vacation planning



As you might already be thinking, yes, this list could go on and on and on! The reality is that non-verbal communication influences parts of everything you do every day. You really are potentially persuading all throughout your day. Your personal nonverbal communication influences everyone around you…and they, you. Intriguing, isn't it?

MODERATING and ACCENTING in Influencing Human Behavior

MODERATING and ACCENTING in Influencing Human Behavior



By Kevin Hogan
Best Selling Author of The Psychology of Persuasion

What role do Moderating and Accenting play in your daily interaction for influencing human behavior? Whether you are seeking to double your sales, gain rapid sales or rapid influence, leveraging Moderating and Accenting in your influence and persuasion toolkit can have a significant impact. To gain greater influence and persuasion prowess, you seek to accentuate your influence message with the persuasion technique of ACCENTING. Or when you want to soften and influence with a spoonful of sugar, alternately you use MODERATING.

Let me give you some examples.

At work....

ACCENTING
When you're at work and you are ticked off, frankly you're angry with a co-worker, you might find you are accenting your angry communicating message with you're adding a pointing gesture, a shake of your head and even a deep frown. Your doing this communicates to your colleague that you are angry and they now know you are quite serious about your anger, and want them to get the message very clearly.

another work scenario....

MODERATING

If you are correcting a minor mistake made by an employee, however, you might moderate the message with a palm up gesture, a reassuring smile, or a pat on the shoulder for encouragement. This lets the other person know you are serious about wanting the mistake corrected. However, your using MODERATING also softens the bite of your words with your influencing human behavior message a bit. Then he or she understands it’s not the end of the world. They are not in fight or flight mode about to lose their job. This was just a mistake and a learning experience.

For the complete Science of Influence Influence and Persuasion Mastery Home Study Course

Power for Influencing Human Behavior .... What % is Non Verbal?

Power for Influencing Human Behavior .... What % is Non Verbal?

by Kevin Hogan

Author of The Science of Influence

Let me clear something up. As an influence and persuasion expert, I hear people all the time dropping percentages estimating just how much of the influence equation non verbal communication plays. Interestingly enough, it is actually difficult to underestimate the power and impact of non verbal communication. Those who pretend to be experts will often throw about such figures as 75%.. 85%.. even as much as 90% when they try to define how much of a message is communicated non-verbally rather than verbally.

How much DOES Non Verbal Communication Play?

To tell you the truth, it actually differs from context to context and individual to individual. There is no one set or preset number, nor is there even an “average.” The bottom line? The power of even the very best verbal communication pales in comparison to the significance of your non-verbal communication.

More on influence, persuasion, and non-verbal communication to come....

Substituting in Influencing Human Behavior

Substituting in Influencing Human Behavior

By Kevin Hogan

Internationally best-selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

Students of Influence and Persuasion, who are influencing human behavior, whether it is rapid social influence or business and sales influence would do well to consider their non-verbal communication and learn how they can subtly influence. Indeed, when your influence is more covert, it can have a tremendous impact, in your relationships and in increasing sales, even double your sales.

Consider the Non-Verbal communication category of Substituting. This is when you specifically do not want to use verbal communication. You want to avoid putting your message into words. But how then do you influence and persuade? With your non-verbal signals and communication. Sometime the words you would want to utter are just too hard or harsh to say aloud, or saying them could potentially create a conflict or confrontation. In this kind of situation, your substituting non-verbal behavior to communicate instead of the words can convey the message in a way that is acceptable, palatable, and more comfortable.

Remember when you ran into a chatty acquaintance in the grocery store? Someone who starts talking... and then keeps talking? What do you do? Typically, you first seek to extract yourself from the conversation leveraging the social influence of non-verbal communication - your body.

You could start by glancing away from the other person. Did that work? Was that sufficient to influence them and achieve your desired result? No? Then perhaps you turn your body away a bit combined with taking a step or two away. If the other person does not receive your message, then you will probably have to resort to saying “I have to go now” or something similar. However, for social influence and influencing human behavior, you would have preferred not to have had to do that.. You would rather substitute non-verbal communication to end the conversation and refrain from appearing overtly rude.

1. How will you leverage that to increase your sales?
2. How will you use that for rapid influence in person?
3. How can you use Substituting to double your sales?

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Influencing Human Behavior - How to avoid taking out the trash

Influencing Human Behavior - How to avoid taking out the trash

By Kevin Hogan

You're laughing already, aren't you? Remember when you were a kid? And your chore included having to take the trash out? And you didn't want to... So what did you do?

"Mom! I have a tummy ache!"

That's a pretty clever influence technique.

And what was her response?

"Sure Kevin...."

What is that called in influence and persuasion terms?

That is the category of Conflicting. Conflicting is one of the biggest and really varied categories within non-verbal comm behavior. When you tell your friend the cake she baked, "It's delicious, honey," (verbal), but your eyes actually darted away (non-verbal). You were just demonstrating conflicting.

Conflicting body language is a bright, flashing indicator when you lie, feel nervous, disagree, or otherwise feel trapped or ambivalent about something. When verbal and non-verbal elements are in conflict, the person receiving the communication will usually give more credibility to the non-verbal behavior.

Now here is how mom KNOWs. Here is how she will detect deception in influence and persuasion. We will interpret conflicting information based in part on how easy or hard it is to fake the particular non-verbal behavior. So when the child says she has that tummy ache. Her mom? She knows. She knows already that the actual body language of a tummy ache is pretty difficult “fake.” She's going to show pale color, clammy skin, and perhaps a fever or general discomfort for an extended period of time. So while most parents will be skeptical from the start, "Mom...", they will start to believe her when it becomes clear her non-verbal behaviors are real based on her genunine body language of stomachache symptoms. And that influence is rapid.

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Influencing Human Behavior - Tap their Unconscious Mind

Influencing Human Behavior - Tap their Unconscious Mind

by Kevin Hogan
Internationally best selling author of "The Psychology of Persuasion"

When you are looking to most strongly influence human behavior and persuade others, whethe you are doing so in business, to increase sales, or double your sales, you will want to learn more about tapping their unconscious mind.

Interestingly enough, the real "Secret" in business language and influence is actually about influencing the NONconscious mind…behavior…

That said, it’s mighty important to influence the thinking brain too.

As you read this blog and my numerous articles on influence and persuasion, always be aware of these two crucial distinctions.

People’s thoughts and behaviors aren’t related anywhere near as often as you’d like to believe.

As a rule, in fact, the conscious mind is more influenced by words and the nonconscious mind is influenced more by EVERYTHING ELSE (nonverbal communication, including body language).

To learn more about the nonconscious mind and the illusion of conscious will there is a lengthy discussion at www.kevinhogan.com/nonconsciousmind.htm
And here is the full library of The Science of Influence, the complete home study program

Influencing Human Behavior - What're you STARING at?

Influencing Human Behavior - What're you STARING at?

By Kevin Hogan
Internationally best-selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

When you are a student of influence and persuasion, perhaps a sales person seeking to make more sales this year or even double your sales, you are often looking for ways to create rapid influence, for creative sales and influence techniques. When you “read” someone, you might see one thing. While in actuality the person is THINKING of something completely different.

However, when you study influence and persuasion with me, reading all of my articles and books, and practice, utilize, and implement all of that information to help you read the nonconscious mind and use the information as a way to predict nonconscious behavior and nonconscious decisions (those decisions which that happen super quickly and even without cognition) you will actually be well-equipped and do much better at “reading people,” and predicting their behavior.

Which will then lead you to being able to influence people with ease.

You’ll be able to know what they will do next more often than you might guess.
But will you know actually what they are “thinking” at the level of conscious thought?

Predicting thinking is not the best use of accurate body language reading for influence and persuasion purposes.

Here's a quick example which we've all found ourselves in.

Have you ever found yourself staring at someone, then after a minute you “catch yourself” and wonder WHY you are staring? Haven't we all?

They aren’t attractive, you aren’t remotely interested in them.

But there you are... burning a hole through them. You almost have to shake your head and blink a few times to STOP staring at them? (Staring, not the best influence and persuasion method and technique to increase your sales and double your sales.)

In fact if the context for your influence and persuasion is Business, you can get in big trouble for such behavior. Not too cool, huh?

But try telling the woman that it was only your nonconscious mind was at work and that really you didn’t mean anything by it.

And of course, in this case, that really is the truth!

Influence and Persuasion Methods - Why We Stare At Them

It could have been that your nonconscious mind was staring at her because it perceived her as a threat, or maybe it was because the woman looked like someone else who had some connection with you (typically emotional and not good) in the past. And you're not even necessarily remembering exactly.

You can’t be certain as to “why” the nonconscious mind directs the body to do something. As a student developing your social, business, and sales influence and persuasion mastery, you can only observe the result.

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Influencing Human Behavior - Touch Their Unconscious Mind

Influencing Human Behavior - Touch Their Unconscious Mind

By Kevin Hogan,

Internationally best-selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

Because people’s actual body movements are typically controlled by the nonconscious mind, the person you're watching may not only not be aware of the message they are sending, they may not even cognitively agree with it! Decoding and interpreting body language, learning reading body language is a sales mastery skill set which will help you to increase your sales and potentially double your sales. Your touching their unconscious minds will improve your sales persuasion technique.

One of the reasons there is so much trouble in communication in general is because people live on auto-pilot. Truly, we utilize our “conscious will,” very little.

If we had to use conscious thought for everything we do...

We’d never get anything done...

and

We’d all die in a car accident in the next week!

At the nonconscious level (the part of us that for better and worse “does” but "doesn’t think”) the brain sends impulses for the body to

• move


• be still


• look


• engage


• confront


• run


• hide


• you name it
  
  

…and all of this happens before the thinking (cortical) part of the brain has clicked in and knows what the body is doing.

Words come out of your mouth...

and before you know it, yup, you said something you didn’t mean (though you might have “felt” what you said…)

Sometimes the thinking brain is in alignment with the nonconscious mind…and sometimes the two cause very different behaviors to happen.

In fact, a growing body of research reveals that there is no significant correlation between the personality and behaviors of the nonconsicous mind, and the personality and behaviors of the conscious mind.

Pretty interesting, huh?

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Influencing Human Behavior with Non Verbals

Influencing Human Behavior with Non Verbals




By Kevin Hogan
Influence and Persuasion Master
Internationally best-selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

Non-verbal vs. Verbal Communication

Do you want to make more money? Increase your sales influence, your social influence, achieve rapid influence? Mastering your non-verbal communications can help you to achieve that.


The definitions of non-verbal and verbal communication are of course argued from time to time as researchers gather more information and try to form the most precise descriptions possible.


Non-verbal communication:
The process of sending and receiving messages without using words. Examples include body language, facial expression, gesture, movement, touch, distance, eye contact, etc.

Verbal communication:
The process of sending and receiving messages using words. Examples include spoken words, written words, and sign language.

Wait a minute. Verbal communication includes the words you write down on a piece of paper? You probably learned somewhere along the line that verbal communication is only the spoken word, but the strict interpretation of verbal communication focuses on words in general – spoken, written, and signed.

Experts sometimes disagree about how to classify communication such as sign language and tone of voice as well. Sign language uses gestures, which is non-verbal, but those gestures are actually words, which is verbal. Tone of voice is a spoken sound, which is verbal, but it is not a word so it is non-verbal.

It’s easy to see how and why there are so many different interpretations, definitions, and nuances when it comes to discussing non-verbal and verbal communication. I’ll leave it to the academic and scientific experts to figure out the finer points, and move on to the more practical aspects of body language and social influence.

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Influencing Human Behavior

Influencing Human Behavior in Your Everyday Life

By Kevin Hogan


Interactions with your family, friends, co workers, and even total strangers are affected by your body language. So, how can you use those to better influence human behavior and better peruade others?

Perhaps you want to double your sales or you want to sell more this year and increase your sales persuasion ability.
Or perhaps you simply want to have more rapid influence and more rapidly persuade in a social influence situation with your wife, your husband, or your children. Or maybe just persuade and positively influence your boss that you are a great employee.

What are some of the daily influence and persuasion scenarios in your life? Think of those now and picture them in your mind. OK, now write those down, list them.

Your day starts. You are sitting at the breakfast table. If you are slumped over, that communicates to your spouse and children that you are not in the best mood and that they should tread carefully.

You've left the house or apartment. Now on the subway, if you sit with an open body position the other passengers are much more likely to make eye contact, smile, and perhaps strike up a conversation with you. Yes, even in New York on the Metro. But if you're scowling, fohgetaboutit.

Are you wanting be a better influencer and persuader? Double your sales? Yes?

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Influencing Human Behavior in Every Day Life

Influencing Human Behavior in Every Day Life

When it comes to everyday life, it’s impossible to list all of the practical applications of body language and non verbal behaviors and how you can leverage persuasion and influence. From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed in the evening, your body language communicates clearly and sends powerful messages about you. How will you use this for influencing human behavior and persuading others in your life?

For instance, did you know that your own body language as you stand in front of the mirror getting dressed has a strong influence and impact on your own attitude and perceptions of yourself? This is not just happy affirmations. Put on a smile and you can help get rid of a negative attitude; stand up straight and look confidently ahead and you can help get rid of nervousness and fear.

How will using that help you with social influence? rapid influence? Do you think you can double your sales and increase your sales leveraging that daily? This is a power sales and influence technique. Use it.

Leverage FAMILIARITY to Influence Human Behavior

Leverage FAMILIARITY to Influence Human Behavior
by Kevin Hogan
Internationally best selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

When corporations like Masarati hire me for Sales Training for them, one of the topics I speak on is Proxemics. One important attribute to consider is Familiarity. Creating familiarity can help you to increase and even double your sales and create rapid influence, fostering your social influence - whether in business or personal relationships.

Familiarity
The perception of familiarity affects how you interact with people and the environment and is based on how new or different you perceive a situation to be.

For instancee, when you first meet a new person, you automatically go into a more formal, conservative body language mode. You don’t know the person yet so your non-verbal behavior signals something along the lines of ‘I need to learn more about you before I can relax’. This is both a protective device and communication of politeness. It is akin to requesting to use the person's first name when talking.

Think about the first time you drove a car, started a new job, tried a new sport, or the like. Remember what that felt like?

Your perception of familiarity was likely very low. Because of that, your body language likely reflected a great deal of caution and deliberation.

Now think back and remember those same things after you had done them for a few weeks.

Your perception of familiarity had grown. So, your non-verbal behaviors probably reflected less caution and more comfort, didn't it?

Retail stores know all about the perception of familiarity and make deliberate attempts to influence yours. Interesting, isn't it? And good for their sales revenue....

Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Shopko, etc., typically build almost all of their stores with the same or similar floor plan. Why? So no matter where you go, when you walk into one of their stores you will find it... familiar and ...comfortable. This helps entice you to make more purchases. Franchise businesses leverage this knowledge. You can, too.

The perception of familiarity affects how openly and honestly you will interact with others. In general, the more familiarity you perceive the more willing you are to allow your body language to relax. You walk more confidently, your tone of voice is calmer and stronger, and you can do whatever you came to do without exploring the environment first.

How can you leverage what you just learned about familiarity this week to increase your sales this quarter and get more second appointments and double your sales this year?

Influencing Human Behavior Tips from Influence and Persuasion Expert - Kevin Hogan

Influencing Human Behavior Tips from Influence and Persuasion Expert - Kevin Hogan

Best selling author on Influence, Persuasion and Influencing Human Behavior, Kevin Hogan shares some Influence, Persuasion, and Selling tips that can help you to make more money, increase and even double your sales.

An idea which is commonly overlooked is...

The Necessity to Practice What You Are Learning

Most people learn better, and indeed sell more, when they interact with what they are learning. So, what does that mean for you as you are growing in your knowledge of sales, influence, and persuasion? You will want to share what you're learning with other people. In fact, when you do share your learning with others, this helps to cement your learning for you.

So, you'll want to talk about what you're learning with others. "Who" you ask. All those others can include a friend, your relatives, peers, or your work colleague. Ask about their own thoughts and perspectives on the various topics and get them to share their own experiences in the real world. Experimenting with real world application with colleagues, friends, and family can really help you to deepen and solidify your learning, don't you find?

Doing this is actuall a great way to spend lunch hour, a coffee break, or to get things going at happy hour after work. What's the secret in doing that? When you do so, not only will it cement your own learning and application, you'll get the added learning benefit of their perspective and experience which will enrichn the take away for both you, right?

Influencing Human Behavior and How PASSION Emerges

Influencing Human Behavior and How PASSION Emerges

by Kevin Hogan

How Does Passion Emerge?
These are the other things we become passionate about...if they are ever created in the first place. For most people, they never are...because people "looked" where they needed to be creating and building.

Most often Fresh passion develops when you are creating. And can it ever be POWERFUL. While you are creating - whether it is building a house, writing a book, painting, making something that wasn't before. A new business. Even a new job that has things that you like to do.
But more often passion is about creating and then being proud of that creation, defending that creation, seeing it as an improvement on other similar things to it "out there."

It is here that the burning desire is lit. You fan the flames when you have invested yourself into the process of creation or growing or building and soon it becomes *part of your identity.* Part of your new identity.

Then "it" is a "front page item" in your life.

Once lit, the burning desire will do just that. It burns. It burns hot. There is no self motivational affirmation that will make it grow hotter...or cool it down.

Does the woman who is "pro life" need affirmations to increase her passion about her belief? Her identity? What about the woman who is "pro-choice"? Does she need daily affirmations to improve her passion about her belief? Her identity?

Passion comes from identity and identity, with rare exception, is generated in one of the four ways mentioned earlier.

For the person who aspires to some level of greatness or achievement, passion is what makes the car go....what makes the body move.

How can you use these ideas for influencing human behaviour for

• rapid influence
• sales influence
• sales persuasion
• how to double your sales
• how to increase sales
• persuasion technique

Click here now for Kevin Hogan's Science of Influence CD Home Study Program

• sales persuasion

Influencing Human Behavior - Love is a Motivational Addiction

Influencing Human Behavior - Love is a Motivational Addiction

by Kevin Hogan
internationally best-selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

Love is a Motivational Addiction (so says our brain)

When we are seeking to influence and persuade others, especially in the spheres of sexual arousal and sexual romantic love, what moves and motivate us?

Aron reported that, using (fMRI) and other measurements, he and his colleagues found support for their two major predictions: (1) early stage, intense romantic love is associated with subcortical reward regions rich with dopamine; and (2) romantic love engages brain systems associated with motivation to acquire a reward.

Brown explains some of these findings, commenting that "when our participants looked at a photo of his/her beloved, specific activation occurred in the right ventral tegmental area (VTA) and dorsal caudate body. These regions were significant compared to two control conditions, providing strong evidence that these brain areas, which are associated with the motivation to win rewards, are central to the experience of being in love."

In plain English that simply means that "being in love," is roughly identical to the motivation to achieve/acquire reward. (Addiction/motivation.)

Remember when Robert Palmer sang, "Might as well face it, you're addicted to love..." ...was he right?

Influencing Human Behavior with Passion!

Influencing Human Behavior with Passion!

By Kevin Hogan
Internationally best-selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

Passion and Competition
Sometimes passion comes from competition. Humans are by nature competitive. We compete in different ways.

We compete physically, intellectually, with force, etc. We compete with ourselves. Let's look at competition and how it relates to and helps us understand passion.

Passion and Your Genes
Your genes are preprogrammed to try and keep you alive. They are preprogrammed to replicate.

Those two things tell you much of what you need to know about the core of human behavior.
Survive and replicate. Almost everyone has a passion to survive and participate in acts of replication...so to speak. (Those who don't take themselves out of the gene pool quite quickly, as well as their potential future progeny.)
Passion.

Quick. Think of the word, passion. What immediately comes to mind? What did you picture? First thing that comes to my mind is *sex,* thank god....but there are other things... like what?

Influence - Stalking? The Seduction to Love?

Influence - Stalking? The Seduction to Love?
by Kevin Hogan
The Doctor of Persuasion

What is Love?

And if that isn't hard enough to answer, what is seduction?

Is it OK to experience - and then the toughest of all...
Is stalking a bad thing...or is it a good thing?

I was tempted to talk about how everyday citizens of the United States were now being obligated to bail out bankers in addition to bond holders of mortgage companies....but it made me ill thinking about it....

So I figured I'd "break the state of madness" completely... with some of the most controversial and complex questions facing a politically correct society in 2008.

There are a few interesting things people like to talk about when they interview me. Body language, influence and persuasion, attraction, sexuality and love.

Now that last one is interesting, isn't it?

Most people mistake "love" for an emotion, much like say "fear" or "anger."

But of course, it's nothing of the kind.

Love is a MOTIVATION, not an EMOTION.

There are seven basic and fundamental emotions.

They include:
Joy
Contentment
Anger
Fear
Surprise
Sadness
Contempt

Love is nowhere to be found.

Pause and think about that for a second.

Love, like "happiness," has definitions that are all up for grabs.

Emotions are clear cut.

I feel "fear" and YOU KNOW what that means.
I feel "sadness" and you KNOW what that means.

I say "love" or "happy"- and you really don't have a clue what I'm feeling...

Interesting, isn't it?

Influence and Persuasion - How to Achieve, by Kevin Hogan

Influence and Persuasion - How to Achieve, by Kevin Hogan
by Kevin Hogan
Internationally Best Selling Author of The Psychology of Persuasion

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The Achievement Factors - Part Two
Factor 5: Mastering Criticism


Achievement.

Let's see.

A gal goes to borrow money to build a bank.
Loans money to people who can't afford it.
Some default. Worried? Fear not..."the government" (please read, taxpayers down the block) pays her when they default.

She's fine.
She makes money.
Some of your customers pay their mortgage on time.
She makes money.

Now THAT is a smart woman. Why would anyone start any other kind of business?!

But let's pretend that YOU don't qualify to get a loan to build a bank! What then?

Ah well..."The Secret" works for bankers but not you and me....we are back to The Achievement Factors!

Last week, we started with Self Discipline. We could have started anywhere. But it makes sense to start with the core factor of self discipline. Let's recap: Self discipline is not an attitude or a feeling. It is a discipline. It is DO-UNTIL.

Self Discipline is what makes great people great.

Then we talked about Overconfidence and the need for it's eradication.

Why?

<--Under Confidence--Confidence--Certainty--Over Confidence--Arrogance-->

All of the research shows that under-confident people simply can't achieve. Where there is no belief in the self or it is very small, self discipline never has an opportunity to engage.

On the other side of the continuum, The Over-Confident person OFTEN achieves for a brief period, but then falls and falls hard.

Self Confidence is highly correlated with financial and relationship success.

Overconfidence and arrogance are highly correlated with success and then failure.

Now on to today...

...I'm just like you. I don't like criticism (even "constructive criticism"), and I don't like rejection (even constructive rejection....oh yeah...there is no constructive rejection).

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Influencing Human Behavior - Double Your Sales

Influencing Human Behavior - Double Your Sales

By Kevin Hogan, Influence and Persuasion, and Reading Body Language Expert

Question: Any light you could spread on this from the sales psychology point of view on our "Guarantee" would be greatly appreciated.

We sell a high-end product ($1300 to $7255) in the alternative health care field, with a risk reversal I've named "Six Month Stop Loss Guarantee."

The client has six months from the date of purchase to use our equipment in their home. If they're happy great. If not, they can return and pay only a rental fee for the six month period. The rental fee is NOT prorated, and is the same whether they return in 30 days or 179 days.
We average between 8-12% returns with this program. However, lately I've seen a significant percentage of the returns coming back on the (very) short end of the six-month trial period - usually in 30-45 days. The terms of the return program are listed on the invoice, and it states that the rental fee is not prorated.

Which leads to my question:
Why would anyone chose to return the product in only 30-45 days versus giving it the full six months test?

What's the psychology behind that?

If I can better understand the client's psychology, I might be able to tweak the program to produce better results (for everyone). Thanks in advance, Kevin, for any insights you might be able to provide.

Answer: The better question is why aren't they returning it in 28 days so they don't have to pay ANY rental fee. I think your experience is interesting. It leads me to believe that the subject of "rental fee" is hammered on in the sales presentation. Because people are putting the equipment aside, not using it, then they are looking at the date they marked on their calendar and thinking, "man I gotta get that back to them." And then they ship. It would have been NO CHARGE had they shipped the prior week. But of course, people will be primed, subliminally primed and triggered vs. do something logical.

I can't imagine anyone waiting to day 175, laughing and sending it back for the refund.

I don't like guarantees because they breed less than loyal customers. I don't like the phrase "alternative health care" because it is really "complementary health care," or it *should be.*
10% return says about half the people never used the product more than a few days and weren't satisfied or unsatisfied. 10% is a pretty monstrous hassle factor and would drive me nuts on every level of my being.

Test no guarantee and no rental fee.

Influence and Persuasion Questions ANSWERED!

Influence and Persuasion Questions ANSWERED!

By Dr. Kevin Hogan, best selling author of The Psychology of Persuasion

Question: I got an email saying that you were doing a teleseminar with Bill Harris of Centerpointe. I don't know if you are aware of this but he was in "The Secret". Don't you find it a conflict to do a teleseminar with someone who was in "The Secret"? Have you moderated your thinking in any way on this subject?

Answer: Bill has been vocal against the "theme" of "The Secret" since the movie was released. He's been...respectful...of the people in the movie, but I haven't seen him out there stating any Secretology. He's a good guy, a good business man and someone you can learn a lot from. And, he's worked hard to get where he's at.

Influencing & Persuading Others - Country Context Matters, Japan

Influencing & Persuading Others - Country Context Matters, Japan

by Dr. Kevin Hogan
The Doctor of Persuasion

Just a quick additional bonus item for you who were reading my last post about Influencing and Persuading Other - Country Context Matter. Least you think this is just about USA vs. EU cultural differences, here's an excerpt from my article on Influence and Persuasion - Japanese vs American (for the full article just click here now: Reading Body Language - Japanese vs American).


Influencing and persuading is very different for many Japanese than it is for Americans.


The Determining Factor for Interpreting Facial Emotions
Research has uncovered that culture is a determining factor when interpreting facial emotions. The study reveals that in cultures where emotional control is the standard, such as Japan, focus is placed on the eyes to interpret emotions.

This is in sharp contract to cultures where emotion is openly expressed, such as the United States, the focus is on the mouth to interpret emotion.

You can start to see how influence and persuasion then would be different and read differently between just these two cultures, can't you?

Across two studies, using computerized icons and human images, the researchers compared how Japanese and American cultures interpreted images, which conveyed a range of emotions.

Basic Emotions Universally Recognized?
"These findings go against the popular theory that the facial expressions of basic emotions can be universally recognized," said University of Alberta researcher Dr. Takahiko Masuda.

The study in fact demonstrated, "A person's culture plays a very strong role in determining how they will perceive emotions and needs to be considered when interpreting facial expression"

These cultural differences are even noticeable in computer emoticons, which are used to convey a writer's emotions over email and text messaging. Consistent with the research findings, the Japanese emoticons for happiness and sadness vary in terms of how the eyes are depicted, while American emoticons vary with the direction of the mouth.

In the United States the emoticons : ) and : - ) denote a happy face, whereas the emoticons :( or : - ( denote a sad face. However, Japanese tend to use the symbol (^_^) to indicate a happy face, and (;_;) to indicate a sad face.

When participants were asked to rate the perceived levels of happiness or sadness expressed through the different computer emoticons, the researchers found that the Japanese still looked to the eyes of the emoticons to determine its emotion.

"We think it is quite interesting and appropriate that a culture that tends to masks its emotions, such as Japan, would focus on a person's eyes when determining emotion, as eyes tend to be quite subtle," said Masuda. "In the United States, where overt emotion is quite common, it makes sense to focus on the mouth, which is the most expressive feature on a person's face."

Influencing & Persuading Others - Country Context Matters

Influencing & Persuading Others - Country Context Matters

by Kevin Hogan
The Doctor of Persuasion

When you are looking to influence and persuade others, in daily life, in fact, most people, do work with a diverse array of people from other countries and other cultures. You need to think about that. Whether it’s face to face in the work place or using modern technology to interact across the globe over the web and over new technology. This is an increasingly important area given our increasingly globalized world, so I'll be including blog posts here that address influencing and persuasing within the context of a variety of cultures - not just the USA.


In fact, when I was recently headed to the EU, contact at in Italty told me, “Kevin, when you come to Italy to give your presentation to the [private investment] bankers, don’t wear black like you did last time.”


So, being the kind of person I am, I asked, “Why not, Ronald?”

“Because it is boring.”

“What SHOULD I wear?”

“Anything BUT black.” You can almost HEAR him thinking, "Oh, that is SO American.... boring."

Great. And btw, he was serious.

A lot of Europeans take color pretty seriously.…

So, I wore bright blue. Why? Because of the country of my context and what THEY wanted and expected. What my audience whom I wanted to influence and persuade. It's about them, their expectations, and what they want. Folks in sales increasing sales and who are doubling their sales this year, they are always thinking about, "What does my CUSTOMER want and desire?"


But me? I'm still an American with my country and cultural context, so when I wore bright blue... I felt like a lighthouse.

Click here now for the latest from Kevin Hogan on>>>> Influence and Persuasion, increasing and doubling your sales this year

Influencing & Persuading Others

On Influencing & Persuading Others

by Kevin Hogan
The Doctor of Persuasion


When it comes to your influencing and persuading others, who is responsible for your learning to do so?

One of the 7 key distinguishing factors of those who are successful and wealthy (just one form of measuring success, but one that a whole lot of people are pursuing...) Is they take responsibility for their own success. Here're a coupla examples.

Responsibility

Just the last month while I was in Las Vegas at the Venetian, I was playing blackjack. Well, the table was, unfortunately, "cold." The cards were favoring the house in a dramatic way. That's just the way it was. As so often happens, one of the other players got up. They yelled at the dealer as if the dealer had anything to do with the losing streak. And in a huff, they stomped away.

The fact is, the dealer, the cut, position at the table, NOTHING significantly effects the cards you are given beyond random chance. The cards are all face down. And even if someone makes a bad decision and "it costs you" money (ouch!), the fact is that - over one million hands - it makes no difference what the guy before or after you does. Now that's hard to swallow and what not what most of us is used to doing, because blaming someone takes the responsibility away from SELF.

Responsibility means that when you don't make money, you only have one place and person to accept responsibility (which is not blame by the way) and that is in your SELF. The sole initial cause of the person's demise was their willingness to sit down at the table in the first place. That could also be the initial cause of victory but the wealthy person accepts responsibility for success and failure. If you are in an influence and persuasion profession like sales or account management, how can that business approach of taking responsibility YOURSELF impact your career for increasing sales this quarter? How would you approach your pursuing sales training to grow yourself? Self improvement? How can you increase your social influence? Your rapid influence ability?

When someone says, "The pension fund went bankrupt", the initial cause of responsibility is not with the company that cheated the person out of their money or mismanaged it, but the individual's illusion that someone other than them SELF should be responsible for their life and livelihood. It's really simple math but people don't want to think about it.

You can't get paid money when there is no productivity to return for the money, or the "system" will go broke.

My fourth-grader can show anyone how this works but that's because I taught him that you need to have money in the account to take out. With pensions, it's not there and ultimately, not just an individual, but a generation will have been sold down the river....I've never heard a wealthy person talk about "collecting" social security or a pension. Wealthy people want or demand to be responsible, at cause, for their income, passive income, wealth and legacy.

Click here for the latest cutting edge training and self-study programs in >>>>Increase Your Influence and Persuasion Ability, Increase Sales.

In the Field of Influence and Persuasion, Knowing How the Gender of Your Audience Affects HOW you are Influencing

In the Field of Influence and Persuasion, Knowing How the Gender of Your Audience Affects HOW you are Influencing

by Kevin Hogan

Ever since the publication of my internationally best-selling, Psychology of Persuasion, the media have regularly approached me to provide insights on reading body language, whether it is the women's body language of celebrities or politicians like Barak Obama, John McCain, or the new RNC VP Candidate, Governor Sarah Palin. This started with the BBC wanting me to decode the body language of President Bill Clinton when he denied having sex with Monica Lewinsky.


While they do want to know about men's body language, as in the case with President Clinton, often women's body language is often more interesting.

When your job and livelihood demands you be a person of influence with strong persuasion skills, it is imperative to stay current with the latest findings on influencing human behavior and persuading others.

Gender has an impact. No surprise there... but .....

Did you already know?.....Men and women behave and respond to body movements in different ways.

Yes, men and women are reading body language differently from each other. So to influence and persuade them, you need to leverage that.

This means, the gender of with whom you are interacting is important to know and study when you are seeking to persuade and influence them.

So, it's crucial for you to suit and adjust your body language depending on the gender of the person you meet....Or you could be damaging a relationship or business relationship and now even know it.

If you think having this ability is mindblowing, just wait. Because you haven't even scratched the surface yet. When you do recognize the true meaning of people's gestures and movements, (which could often be very different from what they say verbally), your life changes in a lot of positive ways as your increase your ability for rapid influence.

Click Here now for the latest in >>>Self-Study to Increase Your Influence and Persuasion Ability from Master of Influence, Kevin Hogan<<<


More influencing human behavior tips and advise to come at this blog. So, DO be sure to check back daily for you to become and remain cutting edge as expert in influence and persuasion.

Influencing from the Power of Your Mind

Influencing from the Power of Your Mind

by Kevin Hogan

Imagining Movement Of Affected Limbs Aids Stroke Rehabilitation

You can call it Miracles of Hypnosis or The Power of the Mind or WHATever you choose.

One thing is certain. The mind can be a huge asset in healing traumatic injuries.

Imagining movement of arms and legs that have been weakened from stroke may facilitate functional recovery of affected limbs, a Northwestern University study has found. Fascinating and revealing, isn't it?

The effects of stroke vary depending.


The effects vary based on the type of stroke and its severity and location in the brain. The majority of strokes affect one of the brain's hemispheres, resulting in muscle weakness or paralysis on the opposite side of the body -- a condition known as hemiparesis.

Jennifer A. Stevens and co-researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago used a motor imagery training program for patients with hemiparesis, consisting of imagined wrist movements and mental simulations of reaching and object manipulation making use of a mirror-box apparatus.

An article describing their study appeared in a recent issue of Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The intervention targets the cognitive level of action processing, while its effects may be realized in overt behavioral performance, said Stevens, research assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Feinberg School.

"Actions generated using motor imagery adhere to the same movement rules and constraints that physical movements follow, and the neural network involved in motor imagery and motor execution overlap in areas of the brain concerned with movement," said Stevens. The program consisted of three one-hour sessions for four consecutive weeks. The first task was computer-facilitated motor imagery training, during which time the participant was instructed to explicitly imagine his/her own hand completing a movement just observed on a computer screen.

For the second task, simulating, for example, the left arm moving, the investigators had the participant move the right arm around in the mirror-box workspace, resulting in a reflection of the affected left limb moving about successfully in space. Participants were instructed to "imagine the reflected limb actually is your limb moving about."

Results showed that performance of the affected limb improved after the imagery intervention, indicated by increases in assessment scores and functionality and decreases in movement times.
Stevens and colleagues found that the greatest increases in function generally occurred during the month of intervention, suggesting that the behavioral effects were associated with the actual practice of mental simulation. It also is possible that motor simulation therapy in early stages of recovery -- that is, less than six months -- may increase the degree of this effect, Stevens said.

How You Influence Human Behavior in 3 Seconds!

How You Influence Human Behavior in 3 Seconds!
By Kevin Hogan
Body Language Expert

I got to moderate a really neat event - “Speed Dating.”

Picture this:

16 men

16 women

They would rotate throughout the evening, spending 4, count ‘em four MINUTES with each other.

But their reports? They knew in.... 3 Seconds!

At the end of their four minutes, they would tick off on a 3 x 5 card if they wanted to date the person.

I ultimately guided three of these events. Two in Minneapolis and one in Seattle.

What I learned was fascinating.

1) Women wanted to date far fewer men than men were willing to date. (We’re so much more flexible and accommodating…or desperate…)
2) 93% of women told me that they knew in the first thirty seconds whether they would be willing to date the person again.
3) Almost as many men said they knew, “right away,” “instantly,” “within three seconds.”
4) The more people someone wanted to date, the fewer people wanted to date (usually) him.

The lessons of those three evenings are many and could fill a book themselves.

But for now, realize that I thought these people were “prejudging” each of their “dates” that night.

And then I realized I may not have been correct....Perhaps we KNOW our yardstick very well. And perhaps we know in just 3 seconds!

Now that you know that you are rapidly influencing others and that they are judging you within 3 seconds of meeting you, how will you leverage that information? What will you do differently to use your rapid influence to increase sales? How will your social influence change you?

First Impressions Influence

Your First Impressions Influence
by Kevin Hogan
Body Language Expert

When is influencing others the most important? When is the moment you most want to control when you set out with the purpose to influence them?

First Impressions

Throughout my years of teaching and professional speaking, one of the most consistent complaints I have heard from students and professionals is their inability to find a book that is reputable, engaging, and applicable to the real world in which they work and live on the topic of Body Language and Rapid Influence.

In other words, you want to know what other people are thinking. You want to know what messages others are sending.

You want to know if they like you.

Also....

You want to know if they are deceiving you.

You want to be able to “read” what kind of a person they are from looking at them and the things around them. (Reading their context.)

And often most importantly, you want to make your best and right impression that you can on others the first time you meet them.

I'll be covering that topic in future posts here on Influence, Persuasion, and Selling.

Click here for the best-selling complete library of: Kevin Hogan's The Science of Influence

Persuading Motivational Speaker - Pt 2

Persuading Motivational Speaker - Pt 2
by Kevin Hogan

OK, I'm back.

When you are looking to influence and persuade others, nothing leverages that so well as being a Public Speaker. In fact, a little more than 70% of the people to whom I present across the world will themselves also be giving public presentations to others at some point this year.

Unfortunately, most of them will become the focus of pity from an audience.

Those that aren’t, usually end up disliked more than when they got up in front of the group.

Why?

Simply because no one has shown them how to be an excellent presenter.

In the next few blog posts, I want to give you some tips and strategies along with a complete mindset that will boost your success in front of an audience. Doesn't that sound intriguing?

Check back soon. I'll be adding those tips over the course of this Labor Day Weekend 2008.

Influencing - Motivational Speaker?

Being A Better Public Speaker
by Kevin Hogan
Motivational Speaker

When you are looking to be persuasive and even become MORE persuasive, one of the best ways of doing so is to become a Public Speaker. Have you ever thought of doing so? Have you ever taken a class in becoming a public speaker?

OK, more later. Gotta run.